Stephen Kumalo is a very likable, well-rounded character. He is very innocent and
is sometimes too kind and trusting. He is just your everyday kind, old man. As
a preacher and a man of God, he is very kind and generous, which is not always
a good thing. Kumalo’s main character traits are innocence, humble, and
trusting.
Kumalo, as a preacher, is very innocent to what is going on around
him. He didn’t know what was going on with his family when they were in
Johannesburg. His sister was a prostitute, his son was a thief, and he had no
idea. His innocence at times gets him into trouble, such as when he trusted a
stranger with his money and got robbed. He was unaware of the crime and danger
surrounding him because he never had to worry about those things in his small
village. He was overwhelmed when he went to Johannesburg. These situations
prove innocence is not always a good thing.
Kumalo is very
humble throughout most of the book. He is not cocky or overconfident. Being a preacher
and having a strong faith in God, he tries to give glory to God, and repents
when he becomes too proud and starts to lose his faith. He lets others know
when he needs help and turns to others for advice. He turns to Msimangu and
Father Vincent several times throughout the story, specifically when he starts
to doubt his faith. He is not too proud to ask for help and is a great
listener. This humbleness is one of the things that make Kumalo such a likable
character in the story.
Lastly, Kumalo is
very trusting, and many times too trusting. As I mentioned earlier, he trusted
the stranger with his money and got robbed. He was too trusting for his own
good, and it got him into trouble. He wasn’t quite as quick to trust people
after this situation, which was a good thing for him. After the robbery, people
had to earn his trust. However, his willingness to trust people was not always
a bad thing. He trusts his close friends and his family, which is great because
he needs people in the big city whom he can trust. You could say his
willingness to trust people is both a blessing and a curse.
As you can see, Stephen
Kumalo is just a humble, innocent, old man searching for his son in the big
city of Johannesburg. He can be too innocent and trusting at times, but that is
just part of who he is. These traits are what make him such a likable character
in the story. You can’t help but like him.
